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2.5m gns Galileo colt lights up Book 1

By By Richard Griffiths 7:39PM 11 OCT 2012

WHEN a sales ring goes quiet, it is a sure sign that there is a yearling set to make a big noise. And bar the odd, off-message mobile phone last night, everything went stunningly silent at Tattersalls as David Redvers, acting for his indefatigable client Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, saw off the might of Coolmore boss John Magnier to secure a three-parts brother to Authorized for 2.5 million guineas.

It is highly appropriate that the world's most expensive yearling this year should be sold at Book 1 as it has been a sale of quite ridiculous vibrancy. Redvers was standing at the top of the stairs to the left of auctioneer Philip Myerscough but looked down to the bidders' ring, where Sheikh Fahad was standing, before upping every breathtaking bid.

"It is a tired old cliche but he is the whole package," Redvers said. Sheikh Fahad said of the Castlebridge-consigned colt, who is already named Hydrogen: "We came here to buy the best and we got the best. He is a stallion in the making. We expected he would be the top lot and he is worth it. We will decide at a later date who will train him."

Almost inevitably, a whizz-bang start to yesterday's trading was dominated by yet another Galileo filly reaching a blockbuster price when Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International outbid Hugo Lascelles at 700,000gns for a filly out of the Listed-placed Arkadina.

"She's for an undisclosed client," said Watrigant, who signed for Wednesday night's 1.5 million gns Galileo sister to Was. "She's a lovely filly with a superb pedigree."

She was another success for the Castlebridge Consignment. Other highlights of a day that eventually shrugged off a groggy patch mid-afternoon saw team Coolmore partly shrug off the loss of the top-lot when Demi O'Byrne paid 675,000 gns for an Oasis Dream colt from the mega-family of Kayf Tara, Opera House, and Zee Zee Top developed by Meon Valley Stud, who consigned him. The colt is out of the unraced Galileo mare Galaxy Highflyer, a half-sister to those horses out of Colorspin.

A Dalakhani filly bought by Shadwell Estates for 550,000gns continued a fine sale for Newsells Park Stud, who with one lot remaining, saw 13 lots sold for an average of 290,769 gns.

The filly is a granddaughter of Magnificient Style, whose eight stakes winners includes this year's Eclipse and Irish Oaks winners Nathaniel and Great Heavens.

"What can I say?" asked Hamdan al-Maktoum's racing manager Angus Gold. "She had a great pedigree and is bred to be a nice mile-and-a-half horse, but she is still a little weak behind and will take a bit of time. However, she is incredibly attractive."

An early flurry of demand for Oasis Dream's progeny saw four of his yearlings make 1.82 million within 15 lots of each other.The most valuable of these was a Barronstown Stud filly bought for 525,000 gns by Paul Fudge, whose Waratah Thoroughbreds took its three-day spending to nearly three million gns.